2 posts tagged Dani Wyss

Rough, rugged, and ready for action. Are we talking about the world class athletes featured in our new IWC Challenge section? Well, yes. But we are also referring to many athlete’s favorite IWC timepiece: the Ingenieur Double Chronograph Titanium.

Rugged and ready to go: The IWC Ingenieur Double Chronograph Titanium

We at IWC like to say the Ingenieur Double Chronograph Titanium proves itself in practical use under grueling conditions, and we know that many of our featured athletes operate often under such conditions.

The 2012 Tour de France saw Swiss cyclist Fabian Cancellara wearing the IWC Ingenieur Double Chronograph Titanium while he raced. This is a rare occurrence in sports where weight is an important consideration (similarly an issue for Azzam’s crew during the Volvo Ocean Race) — but the Ingeneiur’s lightweight titanium case helps to alleviate that concern.

Fabian Cancellara in the 2012 Tour de France wearing an Ingenieur Double Chronograph Titanium

Additionally, this watch’s “rugged” classification is in part due to the use of titanium: it wears well, is not obtrusive on the wrist, and does not cause skin allergies. For someone like ultracyclist Dani Wyss, who is training to compete in the 2013 Race Across America (RAAM), extensively long rides necessitate a timepiece with extreme precision but that does not interrupt performance. The Ingenieur Chronograph is such a watch.

In fact it was the first in its family to incorporate a rattrapante, or splitsecond hand — this allows you to keep the stopwatch running (tracking your overall time) while resetting the intermediate hand that can time laps, turns, or other rates of performance.

The IWC with its black rubber watch band

For our friend, world renowned triathlete Chris “Macca” McCormack, this level of precision and time tracking can be useful; especially when you’re a two time Ironman World Champion as he is. With such a masterpiece of precision (or as we’d call it, an athlete’s most advanced tool), the watch comes with a 44 hour reserve and is water resistance to 12 bar.

Triathelete Chris McCormack with the IWC Ingenieur Double Chronograph Titanium

Whether rock climbing, swimming, sky diving, race car driving, snorkeling, or just wanting a sophisticated way to tell time – the Ingenieur Chronograph can deliver on it all.

Challenge: by definition, “a call or summon to engage in any contest, as of skill or strength”. A challenge is something we at IWC look upon favorably — as an opportunity to improve, to do better, or overcome an obstacle, and to achieve. It also evokes one of our core values: action; without action, no challenge can be won.

Our technological innovation and pursuit of the most precise timepieces in the world define some of the challenges we work towards. Likewise, so do our endeavors and associations. The story of Volvo Ocean Race’s Azzam, the hurdles of triathlete Natascha Badmann, or the children who participate in the activities sponsored by the Laureus Sports for Good Foundation — all share a passion for challenging expectations, and for that we have saluted their efforts. To continue in this tradition, we are launching IWC Challenge as a Series, where we will bring you the endeavors and actions of athletes from around the world. Read about their triumphs, their training regimen, motivations, and the advice they have to give.

First up is Daniel Wyss, who works as a maintenance engineer in the Swiss canton of Wallis, but has a second life as a world renowned cyclist. Wyss is a two-time winner of the Race Across America (RAAM). The race is a non-stop, 3,000- mile event, that is completed in just 8 days- no small feat. To accomplish this level of ultracycling, Wyss puts an intense training plan into action: he cycles 3-5 hours per day during the work week and 5-8 hours when not at work.

Our first Challenge Series profile: Daniel Wyss

When Wyss was asked what drives and motivates him in his sport, he responded that “I always want to succeed and give of my very best. I aim for the perfect race.” His advice for anyone competing in a sporting challenge is to “Never try anything new in a competition, without having tried it out during training.” Sound advice from a world record holder in his sport.

We look forward to sharing more profiles of athletes who are stars in their field on iwc.com/Challenge.